Ballot-box.



O. A. BALL.

BALLOT BOX.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 23, 1912.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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gamma? C. A. BALL.

BALLOT BOX. Arrmoumn nun JULY 23, 1912. I 1,082,673, Patented Dec. 30,1913.

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J! 4 .1! i J2 W marina/ Z all 4 /5/54 COLUMBIA FLANouRAPH c0..WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BALL, OIE MARION, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY BALL, 0F MARION,INDIANA.

BALLOT-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed July 23, 1912. Serial No. 711,076.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BALL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Grantand State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Ballot-Box, ofwhich the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a ballot box which providesgreat secrecy and has a large capacity through using a single layer ofballs, and in which the white and black balls are automaticallyseparated for facilitating reading of the ballot and avoiding chance forerror, and after being read may be returned by a simple relativemovement between two sections of the box to their respective storagecompartments; from which they may be removed as desired by the votersand in which they are partly concealed so that no later voter candetermine by the numberof balls in the storage compartments how thepreceding voter voted.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ballot box in conditionfor voting; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of such ballot box in conditionfor reading the ballots; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the ballotbox, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 1 is atransverse vertical section through the ballot box taken subtantially onthe line 4.4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan of the lower section of theballot box; Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sections through the separatingmechanism showing its action on the white and black balls respectively;and Fig. 8 is a section through the separating mechanism, taken on theline s s of Fig. 3.

The ballot box is made in two relatively movable sections A and B. Thesection A comprises a base 10 having an inclined upper surface andprovided with a carrying handle 11 at the thin end and mounted betweenupwardly projecting sides 12. The base 10 is provided withstoragecompartments 13 and 14, for the white and black ballsrespectively. For reason hereinafter apparent, the balls of one set areslightly, but hardly noticeably, larger than those of the other; in thearrangement illustrated the white balls 0 are larger than the blackballs D. The storage compartments are open at the top at the endopposite the handle 11, so that the balls may be readily lifted fromsuch compart ments. The floor of these compartments is preferablyinclined upward from their uncovered ends to an intermediate point wherethe compartments open upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 through an opening 15,a dividing partition 16 between the compartments 13 and 141 ispreferably centrally located transversely of the base 10 at theuncovered ends of such compartments, but at the opening 15 isconsiderably to one side of the middle so that more storage space isprovided for white balls C than for black balls D, as is commonlydesirable.

The section B is shorter than and rests upon the inclined upper surfaceof the base 10 between the sides 12, and is fastened to the section A soas to have a limited longi tudinal sliding movement relative thereto. Aconvenient fastening means for obtaining this result is a dovetail block20 fitting in a slot 21, as shown in Figs. 3, 4c, and The section Bcomprises a bottom 22, sides 23, and ends 24: and 25. The bottom 22 isspaced from the end-24 by a distance, substantially equal to the widthof the opening 15, sufficient to allow the balls to pass through.

The space within the section B is divided into two compartments 26 and27 by a partition 28, which is in the same plane throughout the most ofits length with the end of the partition 16 under the opening 15, but atits end near the end section 25 is bent inward toward the middle line ofthe section B to meet and form a part of the selector device 29. Thisselector device projects inwardly from the end section 25 and has aninner tubular surface which is cut away so that it extends somethingmore than 180. The tube 29 slants downward, and also slants sidewisetoward the compartment 26. The cutaway part opens slightly downward butmostly sidewise toward the compartment 26, and the lower edge of thetube 29 at the cutaway part is raised slightly above the top surface ofthe bottom 22 and is very slightly on the opposite side of the verticaldiametral plane of the tube from the compartment 26. The tube at one endcommunicates with the compartment 27, and at the other, through anopening 31 in the end section 25-, with a ball-receivin lip 32projecting from the exposed face of said end section over the uncoveredparts of the compartments 13 and 1 1, between the side pieces 12, andbelow the concealing guard 33 extending between the side pieces 12, thetube 29 being inclined horizontally to the lip 32. The piece 33 alsoserves as a brace between the side pieces 12. The compartment-s 26 and27 are preferably covered by a permanent transparent cover, such as awire screen 34, through which the interior of the compartments may beinspected but which prevents tampering with the balls therein. Above thescreen 34 is a hinged, preferably sectional, cover 35, which when inclosed position prevents the interior of the compartments 26 and 27 frombeing seen but when in open position, as shown in Fig. 2, allows saidinterior to be seen and the White and black balls to be counted. Tofacilitate the reading of the ballot, the compartments 26 and 27 may beprovided with longitudinal partitions 36, which maintain the balls inrows, and may have white and black colored floors respectively.

lVhen taking a vote, the ballot box is presented to the votersuccessively, so that each voter, has hand concealed by the projectingsides 12 and the concealing piece 33, may reach into the uncovered endof either of the compartments 13 and 14: and then drop the selectedwhite or black ball into the lip 32. A succeeding voter cannot tell howthe preceding voter has voted, by counting the unvoted balls remaining,because the balls in the compartments 13 and 14s are only partlyvisible. Each ball, when deposited in the lip 32, passes through theopening 31 into the tube and by it is deflected toward the compartment26. The black balls, which are slightly smaller than the white balls, byreason of such deflection and of the slanting sides of the tin-cutawayportion of the tube 29 upon which it rests, roll out of said tubethrough the cutaway portion thereof, strike the upper end of thepartition 28, and roll along it into the compartment 26. The whiteballs, which are too large to escape through the cutaway portion of thetube 29, roll along such tube into the compartment 27. When the votingis completed, the cover is lifted and the white and black balls counted.When the reading has been completed, the -tion B is slid along the section A away from the handle 11 and under the concealing piece 33 tobring the opening between the bottom 22 and the end section intoregistry with the opening 15, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Thewhite and black balls in the compartments 26 and 27 then pass by gravitythrough such registered openings into the compartments 13 and 14respectively. The section B is then slid back toward the handle 11 intonormal position, the cover 35 is closed it it has not already beenclosed, and the ballot box is ready for the next vote.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one abovethe other, storage compartments for white balls and black ballsrespectively in the lower section, compartments for white balls andblack balls in the upper section, into which latter compartments theballs may be deposited by the voters, and a communication betweencorresponding compartments in the upper and lower sections which isopened by a relative movement between the two sections.

2. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one abovethe other, each of said sections having two compartments for white ballsand black balls respectively, the balls in the compartments of the lowersection being accessible to the voters and the upper section beingprovided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by thevoters, and a normally closed communication between correspondingcompartments in said upper and lower sections, said communication beingopenable, to allow the balls in the upper'section to pass to the lowersection, by a relative movement between the two sections of the ballotbox.

3. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one abovethe other, each of said sections having two compartments for white andblack balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightlydiiferent size and the balls in the compartments of the lower sectionbeing accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided withan opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters,selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited andfeeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section,said selector means comprising means for separating the white and blackballs by causing a movement of the smaller balls from the path followedby the larger balls, which movement has a comparatively small verticalcomponent as compared with the diameter of the balls, and a normallyclosed communication between correspondcompartments in said upper andlower sections, said communication being openable, to allow the balls inthe upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movementbetween the two sections of the ballot box.

41-. A ballot box, comprising two relati ely movable sections, one abovethe other, each of said sections having two compartments for white andblack balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightlydifferent size and the balls in the compart ments of the lower sectionbeing accessible to the voters and the upper section being providedwit-h an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters,selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited andfeeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section,said selector means comprising an inclined tube oblique to the verticallongitudinal plane of the ballot box and partly cut away for less than180, the bottom edge of the cutaway portion projecting to the verticaldiametral plane of the tube, so that the smaller balls of one color willroll sidewise out of said tube at the cutaway portion while the largerballs will pass along said tube past the cutaway portion, and a normallyclosed communication between corresponding compartments in said upperand lower sections, said communication being openable, to allow theballs in the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relativemovement between the two sections of the ballot box.

5. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one abovethe other, each of said sections having two compartments for white andblack balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightlydifferent size and the balls in the compartments of the lower sectionbeing accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided withan opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters,selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited andfeeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section,said selector means comprising an in clined tube partly cut away forless than 180, the bottom edge of the cutaway portion projecting to thevertical diametral plane of the tube, so that the smaller balls of onecolor will roll sidewise out of said tube at the cutaway portion whilethe larger balls will pass along said tube past the cutaway portion, anda normally closed communication between corresponding compartments insaid upper and lower sections, said communication being openable, toallow the balls in. the upper section to pass to the lower section, by arelative movement between the two sections of the ballot box.

6. A ballot box, comprising two sections, each of said sections havingtwo compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white andblack balls being of slightly different size and the balls in thecompart ments of one section being accessible to the voters and theother section being provided with an opening through which the balls maybe deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white andblack balls so deposited and feeding them to their respectivecompartments in said last named section, said selector means comprisingmeans for separating the white and black balls by causing a movement ofthe smaller balls from the path followed by the larger balls, whichmovement has a comparatively small vertical component as compared withthe diameter of the balls, and a normally closed communication betweencorresponding compartments in said sections, said communication beingopenable to allow the balls in the last named section to pass to theother section.

7. A ballot box, comprising two sections, each of said sections havingtwo compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white andblack balls being of slightly diflerent size and the balls in thecompartments of one section being accessible to the voters and the othersection being provided with an opening through which the balls may bedeposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white andblack balls so deposited and feeding them to their respectivecompartments in said last named section, said selector means comprisingan inclined tube partly cut away for less than 180, the bottom edge ofthe cutaway portion projecting to the vertical diametral plane of thetube, so that the smaller balls of one color will roll sidewise out ofsaid tube at the cutaway portion while the larger balls will pass alongsaid tube past the cutaway portion, and a normally closed communica tionbetween corresponding compartments in said sections, said communicationbeing openable to allow the balls in the last named section to pass tothe other section.

8. A ballot box comprising an upper voting sectionand a lower storagesection, said sections being provided at the same end with an openingfor receiving the voted balls and with an opening for the removal of thestored balls respectively, and the floors of said compartments slantingaway fro-m and toward such end respectively, the opening through whichthe balls are removed from the storage section being smaller than thearea covered by the stored balls, so that less than the whole number ofthe stored balls are visible.

9. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one abovethe other, each of said sections having two compartments for white andblack balls respectively, which balls are of different size, the ballsin the compartments of the lower sections being accessible to the votersand the upper sec tion being provided with an opening through which theballs may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating byreason of their difference in size the white and black balls sodeposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in saidupper sections, and a normally closed communication betweencorresponding compartments -& 1,082,673

in said upper and lower sections, said eoni- Marion, Indiana, this 17thday of July, A.D.

inunieation being openable, to allow the balls one thousand nine hundredand twelve.

in the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relativemovement between the CHARLES BALL 5 two sections of the ballot box.\Vitnesses:

In witness whereof I, CHARLES A. BALL, ROBERT E. SHIDELER, have hereuntoset my hand and seal at MARGARET B. SHIDELER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

